Virtual Reality for Residential Daylight Assessment: Enhancing Homebuyer Decision-Making and Purchase Intention
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/intrest.v20n1.480Keywords:
Virtual Reality, Daylight, Home Purchase Intention, Environmental Psychology, Approach-Avoidance TheoryAbstract
Daylight is a critical factor influencing mental well-being, impacting mood regulation, cognitive performance, and circadian rhythms, which are the key aspects that shape the desirability and liveability of residential environments. Conventional daylight assessments for real estate rely on physical models and in-person site visits to show units, which can be costly and time-consuming. With advancements in Virtual Reality (VR), daylight conditions can now be simulated in immersive, interactive environments, offering a cost-effective and ecologically valid method for assessing homebuyers’ emotional responses. This study explores the role of VR-based daylight simulation in enhancing emotional well-being, drawing insights from environmental psychology, neuroarchitecture, and immersive technology. Grounded in Approach–Avoidance Theory, this research examines how variations in daylight brightness influence pleasure and satisfaction. A within-subjects experimental design was conducted with 50 participants experiencing two VR-simulated bedroom settings, one bright and one dark. Emotional responses were analyzed using Paired Samples t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA. Results showed significantly higher pleasure and satisfaction scores in the bright daylight condition (p < 0.001), confirming daylight’s positive impact on emotions. Notably, satisfaction was more sensitive to lighting variations than pleasure, suggesting that satisfaction is directly influenced by environmental conditions, while pleasure remains more stable due to subjective preferences and contextual associations. These findings validate VR as a robust tool for daylight research, offering a controlled, immersive, and ecologically valid method for studying daylight’s psychological and behavioral effects. The findings offer valuable insights for architects, developers, and real estate professionals, advocating for VR as a transformative tool in real estate design and marketing. By highlighting the relationship between daylight quality and emotional well-being, this study supports the creation of more liveable, resilient, and marketable urban residential spaces, aligning with the evolving priorities of sustainable real estate development.
References
Al-Qamadi, M. A. (2024). Bedroom Design Standards For Enhanced Comfort And Well-Being. In Procedia Environmental Science, Engineering and Management (Vol. 11, Issue 1). http://www.procedia-esem.eu
Appel, L., Kisonas, E., Appel, E., Klein, J., Bartlett, D., Rosenberg, J., & Smith, C. N. C. (2021). Administering virtual reality therapy to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with dementia admitted to an acute care hospital: Results of a pilot study. JMIR Formative Research, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.2196/22406
Azmi, A., Salih, S., Ummihusna, A., Abdul Ghafar, M., & Ibrahim, R. (2025). Virtual reality application for indoor daylight visual comfort assessment: a systematic review of current research. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-08-2024-0303
Canazei, M., Weninger, J., Pohl, W., Marksteiner, J., & Weiss, E. M. (2022). Effects of dynamic bedroom lighting on measures of sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythm in inpatients with major depressive disorder. Scientific Reports, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10161-8
Chatterjee, A., Coburn, A., & Weinberger, A. (2021). The neuroaesthetics of architectural spaces. Cognitive Processing, 22, 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-021-01043-4
Chatterjee, A., & Vartanian, O. (2016). Neuroscience of aesthetics. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1369(1), 172–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13035
Coburn, A., Vartanian, O., & Chatterjee, A. (2017). Buildings, beauty, and the brain: A neuroscience of architectural experience. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 29(9), 1521–1531. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01146
du Plessis, J., & Jordaan, J. (2024). The impact of virtual reality on the psychological well-being of hospitalised patients: A critical review. In Heliyon (Vol. 10, Issue 2). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24831
Ghaeili Ardabili, N., Wang, J., & Wang, N. (2023). A systematic literature review: Building window’s influence on indoor circadian health. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 188, 113796. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113796
Heydarian, A., & Becerik-Gerber, B. (2017). Use of immersive virtual environments for occupant behaviour monitoring and data collection. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 10(5–6), 484–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2016.1267801
Jafarifiroozabadi, R., Joseph, A., Bridges, W., & Franks, A. (2023). The impact of daylight and window views on length of stay among patients with heart disease: A retrospective study in a cardiac intensive care unit. Journal of Intensive Medicine, 3(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jointm.2022.11.002
Jamrozik, A., Clements, N., Hasan, S. S., Zhao, J., Zhang, R., Campanella, C., Loftness, V., Porter, P., Ly, S., Wang, S., & Bauer, B. (2019). Access to daylight and view in an office improves cognitive performance and satisfaction and reduces eyestrain: A controlled crossover study. Building and Environment, 165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106379
Jung, D., An, J., & Hong, T. (2024). Exploring the relationship between office lighting, cognitive performance, and psychophysiological responses: A multidimensional approach. Building and Environment, 263, 111863. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111863
Khaleghimoghaddam, N. (2024). Analysis of the Brain’s Responses to the Approach-Avoidance Behavior in Architectural Experience*. Psihologija, 57(3), 287–305. https://doi.org/10.2298/PSI220707007K
Kong, Z., Liu, Q., Li, X., Hou, K., & Xing, Q. (2022). Indoor lighting effects on subjective impressions and mood states: A critical review. In Building and Environment (Vol. 224). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109591
Küller, R., Ballal, S., Laike, T., Mikellides, B., & Tonello, G. (2006). The impact of light and colour on psychological mood: a cross-cultural study of indoor work environments. Ergonomics, 49(14), 1496–1507
Landvreugd, A., Nivard, M. G., & Bartels, M. (2024). The Effect of Light on Wellbeing: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 26(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00838-4
Lee, S., Shin, W., & Park, E. J. (2022). Implications of neuroarchitecture for the experience of the built environment: a scoping review. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 16(2), 225–244. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-09-2021-0249
Leung, M.-Y., Wang, C., & Li, L. (2024). Impact of indoor visual environment on emotional and behavioral symptoms of older people with dementia. Building and Environment, 265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111980
Nagare, R., Woo, M., Macnaughton, P., Plitnick, B., Tinianov, B., & Figueiro, M. (2021). Article access to daylight at home improves circadian alignment, sleep, and mental health in healthy adults: A crossover study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199980
Qu, G., Ren, L., Liu, G., Zhang, Y., Lau, S.-K., Zhan, M., & Yan, M. (2024). The best college classroom light environments have changed: Attributed to the public health issue of decreased sensitivity to students’ eyesight. Energy and Buildings, 307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.113948
Riva, G. (2022). Virtual Reality in Clinical Psychology. In Comprehensive Clinical Psychology, Second Edition (Vol. 10, pp. 91–105). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818697-8.00006-6
St-Jean, P., Clark, O. G., & Jemtrud, M. (2022). A review of the effects of architectural stimuli on human psychology and physiology. In Building and Environment (Vol. 219). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109182
Wilson, C. J., & Soranzo, A. (2015). The Use of Virtual Reality in Psychology: A Case Study in Visual Perception. In Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine (Vol. 2015). Hindawi Limited. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/151702
Woo, M., MacNaughton, P., Lee, J., Tinianov, B., Satish, U., & Boubekri, M. (2021). Access to Daylight and Views Improves Physical and Emotional Wellbeing of Office Workers: A Crossover Study. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2021.690055
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright of articles that appear in the International Journal of Real Estate Studies belongs exclusively to Penerbit Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Penerbit UTM Press). This copyright covers the rights to reproduce the article, including reprints, electronic reproductions, or any other reproductions of similar nature.
